Rams get their kicks in beating Seahawks
ST. LOUIS -- There was no fantastic finish for the Seattle Seahawks this time.
Relying on thunder-footed rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein and a defense which kept the Seahawks out of the end zone after the game's first 4 minutes and 15 seconds, the St. Louis Rams matched their win total of 2011 with a 19-13 win Sunday at Edward Jones Dome.
Zuerlein, a sixth-round draft pick in April out of Missouri Western, drilled field goals of 58, 48, 60 and 24 yards to make him 12 for 12 in his first four NFL games. The 60-yarder with 13:46 left in the third quarter broke his team record of 58, set with 4:59 remaining in the first quarter.
Zuerlein said he didn't hit the 60-yarder nearly as well as he boomed the 58-yarder, which landed almost halfway up the net.
"I kind of got that one off my toe," he said of his 60-yard make. "I've felt that if I could get this opportunity, I was going to do my best. But it takes help from the line, the snapper and the holder. There's more than one side to this."
The 6-foot, 187-pound Zuerlein said he made a 74-yard field goal in practice as a collegian.
"There was a hurricane at my back that day," he joked.
The Rams gave up a touchdown on the first possession of the game and then locked down defensively. Seattle failed to capitalize on two scoring chances in the second half after penetrating the St. Louis 15, settling for field goals each time.
On their last possession, the Seahawks reached the St. Louis 35, but Russell Wilson's pass intended for tight end Anthony McCoy was intercepted at the 25 by Bradley Fletcher when McCoy slipped on the turf. It was the third pick thrown by Wilson, the rookie quarterback from Wisconsin who finished 17 of 25 for 160 yards.
"It's tough to get this close and see that you have a chance to win the game, and then it doesn't happen," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "It reminds you just how tough it is to win games in the NFL. Give the Rams credit. They made a few more plays than we did."
One of them was their only touchdown with 1:11 left in the first half on a perfectly executed fake field goal. Holder Johnny Hekker rose up from a knee and lofted a 2-yard scoring pass to Danny Amendola, who was standing by himself near the St. Louis sideline and was 30 yards away from any Seahawk.
"That's how the play is designed," Amendola said. "I try to act like I'm not there. Hopefully, they lose me in the mix."
Carroll and his assistants were jumping up and down just before the ball was snapped, trying to get the attention of their defensive players, but their efforts were fruitless. The Mike Carey-led officiating crew tossed a flag just after the ball was snapped, but determined the play was legal and picked up the flag.
"Our coaches upstairs saw (Amendola) and we were trying to get a timeout, but I guess I didn't do a good enough job of getting the official's attention," Carroll said. "That was a huge play. That was their touchdown for the day."
The result snapped a two-game winning streak for the Seahawks (2-2). Seattle was coming off a wild 14-12 Monday night win over Green Bay, which ended on Golden Tate's game-winning touchdown catch as time expired.
Tate was a non-entity against the Rams, finishing with one catch for seven yards.
Marshawn Lynch rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries for Seattle, which lost for just the second time in its last 15 meetings with the Rams.
St. Louis can make it two home wins against NFC West rivals in five days if it can beat Arizona Thursday night.
"We're still a young team, trying to make huge strides," defensive end Robert Quinn said. "Guys are having fun again, flying around and trying to make plays."
Notes: Among the inactives were St. Louis wide receiver Steve Smith and starting left tackle Rodger Safford. Seattle played without right guard John Moffitt. ... Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan failed to notch an interception for the first time this season. ... The Seahawks are traveling 26,200 miles for road games, more than any other NFL team this year except for the Oakland Raiders.
